Clothes Bought: I bought a birthday dress and shoes. Yikes those shoes are painful, but beautiful.

Consumed Music: I got some itunes vouchers for my birthday, so I purchased a bit of music this month. I also made a 21st playlist, which meant I downloaded a classic song from every year I was born. Some highlights included Seal – Kissed by a Rose, Simply Red – If you dont’ know me by now, and Destiny’s Child – Bootylicious. With the vouchers I bought the new Paramore album – can’t wait to see them live. And also a few other random songs from The Almost, Alexisonfire who I’ll also be seeing live next year.

Birthdays: Birthdays are pretty big in September. Happy Birthday to Aunty Kerrie, Nathan, Amy, Kelly, Beth, Dave, Sarah, Chetti and most likely others. Highlights were obviously Laura’s 21st party, which was black and white cocktail themed. Nathan’s 21st which saw hand made candleabra’s set on fire. And my own 21st — which saw my hair set on fire. Accidentally thankfully.

I’m excited. It’s my 21st birthday soon. I love birthdays. I love presents, cake, decorations, birthday dresses. Birthday parties on the other hand, yikes. So much stuff to do, so much money. Every year I say, ‘I won’t have a party’ and then somehow, I get suckered into having one. I’m sure it will be fun, but right now it feels like lots of work and lots of money. Things I still have to do.

Pick up and pay for cake. Probably will be the best part of the party.

Books Read: Breaking Dawn – Stephenie Meyer. Boundaries, such a classic Christian book that like everyone has read, I hadn’t yet, so I did.

Clothes Bought: I bought a lot more clothes. First proper month where I’ve had any left over money. I bought 5 new tops, a belt, a scarf, 3 beanie/hats. Stocking up on winter clothes for next year as they go on sale.

Consumed Music: Well I went to the Anberlin concert/gig/show (whatever you call those things these days) and that was pretty awesome. I bought the Taylor Swift album.. you might be surprised. Not only is she good looking, but she can actually sing and actually write music.

Films Watched: I watched Transformers again, The Ugly Truth. I feel like I saw something else, but I really can’t remember.

Recipies Mastered: None. I’m thinking I should take this category out of my monthly summaries, as it makes me feel like a bad person. I should really learn how to cook.

Lessons Learned: Just because someone has been professional for the last 2 months that you’ve known them, doesn’t mean they always will be. 80 days at Kapooka can make you really buff. That you can be just as tired after 8.5 hours sleep each night as when you were getting 5 hours of sleep each night. Red Bull and V are my friends. Check, double check and then check it all over again.

I got a new job this month too. I know it seems like I get a new job every month, but I don’t. Not exactly anyway.

Books Read: Woah – even less this month. I need to read more. Just ‘Sense and Sensibility’ by Jane Austen.

Clothes Bought: Sunglasses! That’s it!

Consumed Music: Downloaded the new Hillsong Album as it came out this month – it’s pretty great. Also downloaded a few Naturally 7 songs – they are crazy awesome, especially live!

Films Watched: THE PROPOSAL! Which maybe needs a whole post on it’s own because I loved it so much. Perhaps it was the mood I was in, perhaps it was the funny/cute storyline, perhaps it was Ryan Reynolds – I’m not sure exactly why – but it was amazing! Hands down best romantic comedy I’ve seen in ages! And I’m sorry if I’ve just totally built it up for you.

Recipies Mastered: In my head I’m making that sound that happens on game shows when you get something incorrect.

Lessons Learned: More than half the world hates their lives – and they kind of have reason to. Milk belongs in the fridge and not in the glasses cupboard – late night mind having a blank with that one.

Lessons specifically from Hillsong.

“Have a faith that produces, love that prompts and a hope that inspires” – Brian Houston

“Don’t be tempted to blame yourself from the decline, otherwise you’ll want to credit yourself for the increase” – Craig Groeschel

“Pray as if everything depends on God and act as if everything depends on you” – Matt Maher

“Life is not always about the buffet” & “Christ does the hope of glory without you, just fine!” – Louie Giglio

And everything about Jentezen Franklin’s sermon about drinkers!

Also — heaps of people that are really super cool had their birthday this month.

In 2007 I kept a pretty intense journal. I use the term journal pretty loosely as it contains bible journalling, frustrated emotional entries, sermon notes, speeches, stage design drawings, lists as well as those typical girly entries. I was feeling pretty retrospective tonight and was thinking about all that has happened in my life over the last couple of years, things that have changed, things that have stayed the same. I was flipping through this 2007 journal and came across some gems to share.

Longing is the hearts treasury – Augustine

We are desperately aware of how much more we are capable of – James Macpherson

You broke the night like the sun and healed my heart with your great love – Hillsong United

God is a timing freak – Glen Cochrane

What we behold is what we become, behaviour is always the echo of belief – Peter McHugh

Thank you for always listening to my request, yet doing what IS actually best for me, not just what I think is best. I know that within you is all I need for an amazing, exciting and impacting life. Help me to be the kind of friend, employee, daughter, sister, colleague, leader that you want and need me to be. I love you – you are more than my messed up writing and my badly constructed sentences could ever depict.

Life gives people a bit of grief at times I think. I think life can really give girls in particular a lot of grief (although what would I know about the grief of a man?). One of the issues girls struggle with noticeably in their teens and then subtly in the early twenties etc is that whole jealousy issue. I think that we often sit there and think ‘her clothes are better than mine’, ‘her hair is better than mine’, ‘her boyfriend is better than my lack of boyfriend’ – you know, those kind of things. Now that we officially live and breathe technology, not only do we have to worry about shoes, figures, hair do’s and car’s.. we have blogs to worry about. That’s all I really struggle with at the moment.

Blog jealousy. I wonder if you suffer from it to?

Perhaps you don’t have a blog.. and the reason isn’t because you don’t have time, or you don’t feel like you have something to say, but that you truly think no one would read it. Perhaps you do have a blog and you know nobody reads it. Perhaps you have a blog and people read it and like it, but you’re one of those strange people who is jealous anyway. If you said a mental yes to any of the above then you probably suffer from blog jealousy.

In the spirit of trying to get over my blog jealousy.. check out my friends blogs who are better than mine.

I have very mixed emotions about this new blog. I think blogs are very similar to relationships. And essentially — I feel like I’ve just broken up with someone. So I am sad to let something (blogger) go that I have been faithful (mostly) to for nearly 3 years. But I am also excited.. for I feel I may have given up on the last relationship for a new and better one.

Well.. I am back. I tried posting a comment on Laura’s Ghana blog and then realised I couldn’t, and it made me want my old blog back. I’ve resurrected my old blog.. and realised that it had been a year since I’ve posted.I’m kind of relating it all to a very mixed up relationship. It’s like a blogging and I had a bit of a long term thing going on.. then I got busy with my life, kind of distracted by my myspace and facebook. And now I’ve realised.. that maybe that grass was always browner on the other side. Maybe I miss the annoying feeling of trying to come up with a title for my blog, the feeling that I’ve spent all this energy writing a post – and no one reads it.I mean.. just like people who break off long term relationships.. wait for a year.. then come crawling back.. I’m pretty sure this next phase of my blogging relationship won’t last. I’m sure I’ll be distracted/get too busy again. But I’m willing to give it a shot. Blogger put up a little bit of fight.. making me get a google account and all that sort of rubbish. But it caved eventually.. obviously it missed me.